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501:, who died in Kraków. Rabbi Heller was asked where to bury him. The town leaders were disgusted by the man's lack of charity, and directed that his body be buried in a far corner of the cemetery. A few days after the miser's death, a great cry was heard in the town, for the poor and hungry were bereft of the miser's secret generosity. The "miser" had been giving charity in the most noble fashion – secretly giving money to the local merchants, who in turn had given food, clothing and money to the poor. When this came to Rabbi Heller's attention, he was visibly shaken. He instructed the town to bury him next to Yossele upon his own death. This explains why Rabbi Heller, one of the greatest of Talmudic scholars, is buried in such an undistinguished section of the cemetery.
207:. Heller was accused of insulting Christianity and imprisoned in Vienna. A commission was quickly appointed to inquire into Heller's guilt. He defended himself adroitly, but the commission's verdict was that Heller be sentenced to death. After intervention, the king agreed to impose a fine of 12,000 thalers instead. After negotiations it was reduced to 10,000 thalers (still a huge sum). Afterwards the King declared that Rabbi Heller could no longer serve as a Rabbi. After spending more than a month in prison, Rabbi Heller was released. He then spent two years paying off the fine. In 1631, Heller left Prague and spent the second part of his career in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
222:, including that of Prague, which had to pay a yearly tax of 40,000 thalers. A commission headed by Chief Rabbi Heller unanimously voted to tax each Jewish family in Prague. The richer the family, the higher the tax. The burden fell mostly upon the rich merchants who could well afford to pay their assessments. However, they complained and demanded a reexamination of the decision. Rabbi Heller and his committee reviewed the problem and concluded that this approach was fair. The committee met with representatives of the merchants' association to explain the sensitive situation facing the Jewish community of Prague. The irate merchants refused to deal with the
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Yom-Tov and Rachel probably had 16 children, at least six sons and at least eight daughters. Sons whom he mentions in his works, were: Moses of Prague, Samuel of
Nemirow (now Nemirov, Ukraine), Abraham of Lublin (now in Poland), and Leb of Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus). The daughters of whom we
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See
Addition to Megilas Eiva from Rabbi Shmuel Heller son of Rabbi Yom Tov, who describes the way he was able to have a French minister intercede on his Father's behalf. It is interesting that Rabbi Heller himself makes no reference to this. Perhaps Rabbi Heller felt that this was just God's way of
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which was responsible for delivering the money to the government. Instead, they decided to appeal to the government. In their petition they charged the Chief Rabbi with being an enemy of
Christianity. Their proof: "His writings are filled with allegations against the religion of the country." Rabbi
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Despite his father dying at age 18, Yom-Tov is believed to have had three siblings: brother Joseph d. 1659, sister Perel and another unknown sister. It is possible but unclear whether the addition of
Oettingen and Wallerstein to their names means his ancestors had connections by marriage with the
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was then a suburb of Vienna. When he arrived, the Jews of Vienna were scattered throughout the city, not having a central community. Heller obtained the right for the Jews to establish a central Jewish community in
Leopoldstadt. He was instrumental in reorganizing the community and drew up its
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Yom-Tov Heller founded a long line of rabbis. His father, Nathan, who died days before he was born, was the son of Rabbi Moses. Heller was married to Rachel, a daughter of a wealthy Prague merchant, Aaron Moses
Ashkenazi (Munk). Through his wife he was related to the
436:, whom he held in great esteem, had launched against the book and its author. His statement on the universal dignity of humanity is also notable, as is his openness to study of works by non-Jews. One of his sermons alludes to the new astronomy of
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has typically been published with a second section that is attributed to his son Samuel. Samuel relates the story of Heller's imprisonment and trial from his own point of view. In his version, the Rabbi was helped by the French general
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Among rabbis of his generation, Heller was exceptionally well versed in the secular sciences. His
Talmudic works and his sermons show that he was interested in questions of arithmetic, astronomy, and natural science. His notes on the
70:, he was raised by his grandfather, Rabbi Moses Ha-Levi Heller, as his father died at the age of 18 before he was even born. As a teenager Heller was sent to Friedberg, near Wallerstein, where he studied in the
298:(Scroll of Hostility), that tells the story of his imprisonment and release, became a tradition for the descendants of Rabbi Heller. To this day, they celebrate the story of his life in a special
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by
Moznaim Publishing Corporation, New York and Jerusalem. The book contains 40 pages of charts detailing the family tree and the hundreds of families descended from Rabbi Heller.
283:(b. 1790), religious scholar, poet, writer whose grandson, Arnold Edler von Porada Rapoport (b. 1840) was a lawyer, parliamentarian, coal mining entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
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In commemoration of his imprisonment and his release from prison, Heller established two special days of remembrance for his family and descendants. He established the 5th of
366:. Heller's introduction to the work endorses that view. Heller's halakhic views, mainly on matters of ritual, are quoted by many later rabbis, especially those of Prague.
465:, after Samuel's dramatic life-saving of Turenne's wife and daughter at a park in Vienna, when they were attacked by a raging bull. The anecdote is based on a story by
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337:. The commentary quickly became established as one of the standard commentaries to the Mishnah, and is studied to this day. His commentary is an important complement (
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400:. But throughout most of his life, Heller was opposed to the popularization of the kabbalah, and the use of kabbalistic reasoning in matters of Jewish law.
235:, who also had enemies at the Habsburg court. Heller's relationship with Bassevi and Heller's arrest played a part in larger political machinations there.
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360:. Rabbi Asher's summary was often taken by German Jews of Heller's day to be the most authoritative statement of Jewish law, even in preference to the
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there. Four years later, Heschel died, and Heller succeeded him and also directed the
Yeshiva as well. Heller was chief rabbi of Kraków during the
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as a day of celebration on the anniversary of his nomination to the rabbinate of Kraków. The reading of the
Megillah that Heller wrote, called
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and the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, and the escape of the Prague Jews from the sack of Prague by Habsburg troops after the
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anti-Jewish campaign, encouraged by the Papacy. Heller also had enemies within the Prague Jewish community. On account of the
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and a detailed family tree were published in English by Rabbi C.U. Lipschitz and Dr. Neil Rosenstein under the title,
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579:על כן ראיתי כי נאות לקרוא חבור זה בשם תוספת יום טוב על שם הפועל והפעול כי זה נושאו שהוסיף ביאור על ביאור הרע"ב ז"ל.
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279:(b. 1738), known as the Kuntres Ha'Sfeikos, often appeared with the K'tzos Hachoshen. Other noted relatives are
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Heller is also the subject of a number of folktales and legends. One well-known story about him concerns
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in 1620. The second set of poems, written in 1650, commemorate the Cossack massacres of 1648-1649.
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The spelling "Tosfot Yom-Tov" dates at least to 1652 but is apparently not original. The name
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Several factors account for Heller's imprisonment. His arrest marked the beginning of a brief
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Megilas Eivah authored by Rabbi Heller chronicles in detail the events of his imprisonment
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Heller was associated with the wealthy leader of the Prague community at that time,
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In the summer of 1629, Heller was arrested at the order of the imperial court of
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definitely know were: Nechle, Nisel, Doberish, Esther, Rebecca, and Reizel.
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helping him. He did not want his salvation to be thought of as coincidence.
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602: This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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of Rabbi Heller's death his autobiographical story of his imprisonment
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scholars in Prague and in Poland during the "Golden Age" before 1648.
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Finally, in 1643 he was elected head of the rabbinical court of
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family; on his father's side, to the Frankel family of Vienna.
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is visible in the title page and forward of the 3rd printing
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Benish Ashkenazi, one of the major characters in the novel
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for three years. In 1634, he moved to the larger city of
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Introduction of Rabbi Heller to his work Lechem Chamudos
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commentary in three volumes. It was initially entitled
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Gershon Shaul Yom-Tov Lipmann ben Nathan ha-Levi Heller
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In October 1624 Heller was called to the rabbinate of
27:- printed in Prague during the lifetime of the author
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family. On his mother's side, he was related to the
617:"HELLER, YOM-ṬOB LIPMANN BEN NATHAN BEN MOSES LEVI"
548:(1955). "פיוטיו ושיריו של רבי יום טוב ליפמן העלר".
652:(New York and Jerusalem: Moznaim Publishing, 1984)
160:. In 1640, he worked to obtain the renewal of the
35:(c. 1579 – 19 August 1654), was a
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369:Among Heller's many minor works are sermons and
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325:Between 1614 and 1617 Rabbi Heller published a
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46:, best known for writing a commentary on the
377:. The first set from 1621, commemorates the
432:in spite of the anathema that his master,
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54:(1614–1617). Heller was one of the major
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267:Probably his most famous descendant was
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231:. He was an ally of the great general
195:of 1648, and until his death in 1654.
686:17th-century Polish–Lithuanian rabbis
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109:, and in March 1625, became rabbi of
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648:Lipschitz, C.U.; Rosenstein, Neil,
489:Grave of Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller in
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590:https://beta.hebrewbooks.org/24777
408:, which is itself a commentary on
23:Title page of the Mishna with the
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420:, prove he occupied himself with
305:In 1984 on the 330th anniversary
681:17th-century rabbis from Bohemia
629:. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
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568:Hebrew National Library catalog
416:written by one of his teachers
205:Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II
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258:House of Oettingen-Wallerstein
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461:, ambassador of the court of
125:From 1627 until 1629, he was
62:Education and rabbinic career
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373:. He also wrote two sets of
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746:Commentaries on the Mishnah
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181:Yehoshua Heschel of Crakow
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179:of that community. Rabbi
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78:. From there he moved to
66:After Heller was born in
696:Austrian Orthodox rabbis
463:King Louis XIV of France
418:Joseph ben Isaac ha-Levi
383:Battle of White Mountain
379:Defenestration of Prague
233:Albrecht von Wallenstein
761:Jewish liturgical poets
751:Prisoners and detainees
626:The Jewish Encyclopedia
546:Habermann, Abraham Meir
341:) to the commentary of
756:Chief rabbis of cities
711:Rabbis from Nikolsburg
701:Polish Orthodox rabbis
691:German Orthodox rabbis
676:People from Donau-Ries
650:The Feast and the Fast
639:Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller
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499:Yossele the Holy Miser
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448:Folktales and fictions
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315:The Feast and The Fast
256:noble families of the
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480:Isaac Bashevis Singer
452:Since 1881, Heller's
158:Council of Four Lands
136:In 1631, he moved to
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277:Yehuda Heller Kahana
193:Chmielnicki uprising
68:Wallerstein, Bavaria
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164:'s decrees against
94:(appointment) as a
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721:Rabbis from Prague
716:Rabbis from Vienna
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321:Works and opinions
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554:Mossad Harav Kook
467:Ludwig Philippson
430:Azariah dei Rossi
424:. He praised the
354:Ma'adanei Yom Tov
269:Aryeh Leib Heller
216:Thirty Years' War
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566:and in the
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726:Kabbalists
660:Categories
505:References
438:Copernicus
422:philosophy
410:Maimonides
641:(Oxford:
390:kabbalist
352:work was
343:Bartenura
150:Volodymyr
74:of Rabbi
44:Talmudist
493:, Krakow
375:piyyutim
371:responsa
350:halakhic
307:Yahrzeit
250:Günzburg
246:Horowitz
212:Habsburg
154:Volhynia
56:Talmudic
37:Bohemian
645:, 2004)
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459:Turenne
434:Maharal
412:' work
339:tosefet
327:Mishnah
220:Bohemia
189:Yeshiva
142:Nemirov
138:Ukraine
107:Moravia
103:Mikulov
92:Semicha
84:Maharal
72:Yeshiva
48:Mishnah
288:Tammuz
239:Family
173:Kraków
166:simony
146:Ludmir
131:Prague
111:Vienna
88:Prague
80:Prague
31:Rabbi
619:. In
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224:Qahal
162:synod
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